Long-term persistence of human papillomavirus in the skin of the glans penis of elderly men above 80 years of age.

Investigations of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the glans penis are scarce, especially with regard to its natural history. To elucidate HPV prevalence among Japanese men attending urological clinics, 798 adult participants were recruited consecutively and stratified into groups by age based on 10-year intervals. The overall HPV prevalence among the participants was 24.8%, with 15.5% positive for high-risk HPV and 9.3% infected with other HPVs. The HPV positivity rate was sustained in those over 80 years of age at nearly the same level as those in the younger age groups. We also determined the age at last sexual intercourse of 15 HPV-positive participants in the 80+ years age group. In addition, six participants positive for HPV were re-examined for HPV and all showed nearly the same HPV types as those identified in their first examinations. The difference between the age at the first test and the age of last intercourse was 8.3 ± 6.2 years. Except for the elderly group who reported sexual intercourse within the previous year, the duration was 10.0 ± 5.1 years. Our data suggest an HPV persistence of at least eight years. Further investigation is necessary to elucidate the long-term persistence of HPV infection in the glans penis.